May 2016 Newsletter |

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee

Life in the Hong Kong expatriate community is challenging–and often temporary. Trailing wives who have followed their husbands abroad are common in the isolated mostly American section of Hong Kong depicted in this novel. In this novel, the lives of three expatriate women intersect.

Margaret Reade is a trailing spouse who came to Hong Kong when her husband was transferred. She was a landscape architect in California but there is little demand for this work in Hong Kong. Her life is consumed with a recent tragedy and she is struggling to regain a sense of self.

Mercy Cho is one of the few single members of the community. She moved to Hong Kong on a whim after graduating from Columbia University. She has struggled to form relationships and to find meaningful long term employment. Her feelings of isolation grow following an incident involving Margaret Reade’s young son.

Hilary Starr is also a trailing wife. She and her lawyer husband David have been in Hong Kong for a decade and their relationship is growing distant. Amid rumours that her husband is having an affair, infertile Hilary spends her time with social events and longing for motherhood.

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June 2016